Coyotes, Avalanche both surprising

by Jim Gintonio - Nov. 2, 2009 06:08 PMThe Arizona Republic

After one month of the season, two of the biggest surprises in the NHL are the Coyotes, ranked fourth in the Western Conference before Monday night's game, and the Colorado Avalanche, who hold down the No. 1 spot.

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett chuckled a bit when asked if the balance of power in the West, if not shifting, might be moving a bit.

"We're trying to concentrate on the balance of power of the Phoenix Coyotes," he said. "I think you're going to see, teams are all going to be very competitive, especially early in the year, everybody trying to be competitive. If a team does get off to a slow start, they're the ones who are going go jump in and try to fix things in a hurry.

"Every night is going to be a competitive night, I think going into the year, if people would have said Colorado and Phoenix were going to be in the top eight in the standings right now . . . that's not what the predictions were."

Tippett acknowledged the Avalanche's start (10-3) and said his team as well has been finding ways to win.

But he also looked at it on a larger scope.

"I don't think that changes any balance of power," he said. "To me, there's power every day. If you do little things right, and you find ways to win hockey games, you can put yourself in good position."

Bryzgalov the star

Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was named the NHL's third star for October. Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson was named the first star and Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin was named the second star.

Bryzgalov posted a record of 8-3-0 with a 1.78 goals-against average, a .930 save percentage and three shutouts last month, helping the Coyotes finish October with a 9-4-0 mark.

Looking for first

Forward Lauri Korpikoski, who had a game-winner in a shootout, is looking for his first point in regulation or overtime. He knows it will come but says it's still frustrating.

"At the same time," he said, "you can't lose your hope, you've just got to push harder. . . . And when you get more minutes, you get more opportunities to get the scoring chances, and then it's just a matter of time when it comes. "You can't let it creep into your mind, just play your game, do the natural things, just relax. It's just a little luck factor, a little bad luck, bad bounces, but sometimes every bounce is going your way, too."

Ice chip

Shane Doan has Olympic medals - but no bobblehead. That will change Jan. 16 when the Coyotes host the Minnesota Wild.

Avalanche update: The surprise leader in the Western Conference, the Avalanche have lost back-to-back games. G Craig Anderson, who has started every game, reportedly will get the night off in favor of Peter Budaj, who has recovered from swine flu. F Cory McLeod (eye) also will return to the lineup